Monday, November 28, 2016

Sometimes I think a lot more people would be happy if they would focus on themselves.

Didn't see that coming, did you?

I know it sounds selfish, but one thing I've observed is that people who are generally unhappy, perennially grouchy, and downright unpleasant to be around are the people who are always watching what other people are doing--or not doing--and how wrong they are doing it. It's no surprise that they are usually blind to the things they, themselves, do wrong or else have a perfectly justifiable reason for what they do or don't do.

A lot of struggling writers fall into this category and I'm not blameless. It can be depressing to see the numbers on amazon when one compares a magnum opus that took a whole year or longer to write, edit, and publish with a traditional publisher with that of a writer who cranks out a new book every two to three months by simply using the search and replace function on their word processing program and changing the title before self-publishing their latest creation. I've succumbed to reading a few that are offered for free and know whereof I speak.

It's not even the money that creates the rumblings of the green-eyed monster (as evidenced by the fact that many of these books are offered for free), but the effusive glowing reviews which number into the triple digits. Where do they find their readers (oh, right... free books) and, more importantly, how do they get them to write reviews?

This is what I've discovered and what's more, it works for every facet of my life, not just the writing part of it.

The answer is this: forget about what "they" do. "They" are not living your life, paying your bills, writing your story. What you are letting "them" do is take your focus off YOUR life and YOUR goals. You are wasting energy, time, and passion worrying about "them" instead of investing your energy, time, and passion in living your life, paying your bills, and writing your story. Learn what you can from them, but then focus on what YOU can do to reach your goals. Realize that not everyone works like you do or wants what you want. Define your own goals; don't let others' successes tell you what you really want. Sometimes you may have to sacrifice one thing to have another, sometimes you may have to take into consideration what is realistic. And sometimes you have to ask yourself if what you're striving for is what is really going to make you happy.

Sometimes, all it takes to be happy is to take the focus off what everyone else is doing and focus on what you are doing.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Since I'm still working on NaNoWriMo (supposedly!), I'm turning the Back Deck Blog over to friend and fellow OTP author, John M. Wills, as he tells us about his latest novel, "The Storm"!

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Hi, Amy. I’m pleased you’re hosting
me so I can let your readers know about my latest novel, The
Storm. First, however, a bit about myself. I’ve been
writing professionally since 2004. My credits include more than 150
published articles regarding police officer training and safety; 10
books, both fiction and non-fiction; various poems and short stories;
and one technical manual. I also write video scripts for The William
McLain Foundation in Atlanta that honors first responders killed in
the line of duty. I’m an avid reader and I write book reviews for
the New York Journal of Books. I’m also a member of the National
Book Critics Circle.

Now a bit about my latest novel, The
Storm. Anna’s life in the small town
of Heavenly Harbor, Michigan, seems idyllic. Married ten years to her
childhood sweetheart, Mark, she wants for nothing, except a baby.
Unfortunately, her husband doesn’t share her enthusiasm. Anna has
been secretly keeping a journal. She’s recorded her suspicions
about Mark’s reluctance to share her dream and his possible
infidelity. As she is about to confront him, lightning strikes,
literally, causing her to lose her memory. The
Storm will not only damage Anna
physically, but possibly destroy her marriage as well—and Mark’s
secret life is about to implode.

Why write such a
story? Well, I was inspired to write this book simply because I’ve
had people in my life who’ve suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease.
I’ve witnessed the steady progression, sometimes developing slowly,
other time coming on quickly. Either way, the destruction the malady
causes is beyond description. After a while, the victim hardly
realizes what is happening. Sadly, however, those close to the
patients suffer immeasurably. Their once vibrant loved one disappears
before their eyes. In the final stages, it’s not unusual for the
victim to be unable to recognize family and friends.

So while I was
pondering a story involving memory loss, I thought it would be
interesting if it centered around a young person. And rather than
Alzheimer’s, I thought an injury-induced case of amnesia would make
for a compelling story. Thus, the making of Anna’s story began.

The tale required
research with respect to injuries resulting from lightning
strikes—how they affect the physical and mental well-being. In
addition, I wanted the protagonist to be likeable, believable, and
strong. Anna is that person, and her tenacity after her injury makes
her character even more powerful. The injury transforms Anna’s
character, once a one-dimensional teacher and wife, into a strong
determined, complex woman who knows what she wants and how to get it.

Of course, what
would a story be without at least one antagonist that readers dislike
right from the very beginning? We have such a character in Vicky, a
personal trainer at the local health club. Her chicanery and outright
lack of morals wreaks havoc upon Anna’s marriage. Add to the mix a
shady private investigator, a couple of fantastic cops, and the
recipe for a great novel is complete and ready to serve.

Early reviews
have been outstanding and I look for more to be posted. Now excuse me
as I need to start the wheels turning and come up with an idea for my
next book.

Monday, November 14, 2016

This post was originally written December 17, 2013. Since I'm still trying to work on my NaNoWriMo word count, I'm rerunning it today. Check out my blog next week when fellow Oak Tree Press author, John M. Wills, will be joining me on the Back Deck to talk about his latest book, "The Storm"!

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Most people believe that writing is a completely solitary endeavor. They picture a writer in a lonely garret, with an oil lamp for companionship, and their lofty thoughts being turned into words by their quill pens on parchment in peaceful silence.

Not even close.

As the years have gone by, I realize that what makes us writers is the way we see the world around us... and that includes the people that inhabit it. There's only so much you can learn, however, from just sitting on a park bench (or mall bench) and watching people go by... or the less-socially-acceptable eavesdropping on people in restaurants. That is where having a "real" job comes in handy. The normally reclusive writer is "forced" to interact with people which, under usual circumstances, the writer wouldn't associate with.

Lest anyone think I'm being insulting, let me elaborate. Most of the people we meet at work would probably never answer a personal ad to be our friends. They are people who are very different from the people with whom we would choose to associate--different interests, different lifestyles, different ways of thinking. Even different age groups. Come on... how many 40+ year olds would normally "hang out" with 20-somethings (that aren't their children?) And vice versa?

Co-workers add so much to our lives. Some good, some bad. To a writer, this helps enormously in creating compelling and believable characters. Not only can you actually learn how different people act, speak, and think, you also gain the valuable insight on how you--and others--react to their actions, words, and thoughts. Sometimes you may disagree, in principle, with your co-workers but because you have been interacting with them on a regular basis and know their kids' or siblings' names, their favorite foods and TV shows, the problems they have with their in-laws or best friends, you are able to look beyond their views to the person voicing them and the story behind what makes them view things that way.

These people are our links to the world outside of ourselves and the world we create on paper. A world inhabited only by people just like ourselves, or worse, a world populated with the people we THINK are out there, is flat and colorless. When we know who those "other" people really are, our stories become richer... and so do we. We shouldn't be afraid to get to know people who, at first glance, are not "compatible" with us. We all feel hurt, pain, betrayal, hope, joy, exultation, contentment, insecurity, satisfaction, and love. Examining how other people experience those emotions helps us grow as writers and as people.

I am grateful for the co-workers who have touched my life, become friends, become a part of me. No, I'm not using you for characters, but I am using you to make the characters I create real, characters that I and, hopefully, readers care about.

Monday, November 7, 2016

I'm trying to work on Book 6 in the Black Horse Campground series by doing NaNoWriMo this month, so today's post is a re-run from October 14, 2013. Now back to upping my word count....----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not long ago, I was talking to a friend about how I "had" to get an e-reader... something I once vowed I'd never do. I contended that I loved the feel, the smell, the sight of paper and ink. And I still do. I've used my Kindle (first generation, gently used, no color, no pictures, and I have to push buttons) to read one book and the experience was not horrible, but I still prefer a real book. However, I have started doing reviews on soon-to-be or recently released novels and the truth is that publishers rarely send out ARCs (advanced reader copies--cheaply bound printed copies of novels) for reviews anymore. It's faster and much less expensive to make the book available for download on to a computer or reading device. The reading device is far lighter and easier to use for reading than my laptop, so here I am, the reluctant Kindle owner!

Reading a book is the one thing I never expected to see go electronic. I should have expected it to be inevitable, given how the way a book is written and published has changed dramatically over the last few years. If you want an example of the way the publishing business used to be (about 20 years ago or less), read the late Olivia Goldsmith's novel, "The Bestseller". Drama aside, you read about the business of publishing that most young writers these days can't begin to imagine: TYPING the manuscript on a TYPEWRITER. Making copies (several) on a copy machine. Sending a printed manuscript (all 400 pages!) to a publishing house or agent with an SASE (do I have to explain what that is?) Waiting 4-6 months for a response (usually a bulky manila envelope with your address written in your own handwriting... that SASE) and not being able to submit to more than one publisher or agent at a time. Getting an edited manuscript with red ink and notes all over it, changes that have to be made by the deadline. And let's not even talk about marketing the book.

Nowadays, submitting a manuscript is as easy as hitting the "Send" button. Editing the work, checking for spelling errors, making corrections and changes is all easier than it's ever been. And publishing has become a do-it-yourself project. There isn't even a need to wait for a publishing contract. You can be published on-line in a matter of minutes.

Sadly, this hasn't exactly resulted in a boom in good books. Since there is little effort involved in simply getting published, many writers have succumbed to the temptation to put little effort in writing. The main goal is no longer to write, it's to get published. Or as I put it, few authors want to write, they want to have written. Writing, as I've said before, is hard work. Writing well is a mammoth task.

Even on their best days, the best writers in the world have had to edit their work. Just getting it on paper isn't enough. Traditional publishing forced writers to do their very best, to double check, not once or twice, but as many times as it took to get their story and characters to be the best they could be. Because the opposite of a successful book wasn't just a story floating in cyberspace with no readers--it was piles of unsold books being returned to a publisher, an advance not being earned out, and the possibility of a contract not being renewed.

I know there are hundreds of writers whose work was good enough to be published traditionally, but the deck was stacked against them--publishing houses with small budgets, competition from big name writers, a shrinking market for their genre (or conversely, an exploding market with an equally large number of submissions), and many other obstacles. So they turned to other publishing options. But here, too, their work rarely receives the credit it deserves. Many "publishers" unscrupulously prey on struggling writers and charge exorbitant fees to read or publish their work. Others will publish anything and gain a not-so-reputable reputation that reflects badly on even their best authors. And many still get published by print-on-demand or e-book publishers and hit a brick wall when their book receives little marketing and doesn't reach the audience it should.

Things are not going to change back and in some ways, that's good. Having to retype a 400-page manuscript because of one correction is something I'd never wish on anyone (before you curse your word processing program, think about that for a minute.) Neither is sending that same manuscript in a double box with return postage (I still have issues of "Writer's Digest" where you could order five such boxes for $19.95!) But I think it would be well for writers to write as if those nightmares were still true. There are still small publishing houses and editors and agents who are looking for quality fiction for which THEY are willing to pay. Even if a writer chooses to go the self-publishing route, it would be well for them to make their writing the best it can possibly be, as if their work were being scrutinized for the Nobel Prize in literature.

Or better yet, write as if they were writing for that one person in the bookstore who stops, picks up their book, and is drawn into the author's world and wants to return again and again.